


The Bigger Picture

by FreshBrains



Category: Ant-Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Age Difference, Community: comment_fic, Cross-Posted on LiveJournal, First Meetings, Fluff, Gen, Humor, M/M, Older Man/Younger Man, POV Hank, Post-Movie(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-21
Updated: 2016-03-21
Packaged: 2018-05-28 06:41:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 682
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6318691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FreshBrains/pseuds/FreshBrains
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"You're old," Cassie says, one eyebrow raised, hands planted on her hips.</p>
<p>"Thank you," Hank says amiably, mirroring her pose.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Bigger Picture

**Author's Note:**

> For the LJ comment_fic prompt: [Ant-Man (2015), Cassie Lang + Scott Lang/Hank Pym, meeting her dad’s new boyfriend](http://comment-fic.livejournal.com/702765.html?thread=92800813#t92800813).

"You're old," Cassie says, one eyebrow raised, hands planted on her hips.  
  
"Cass, _dude_ ," Scott says, but he's also biting back a smile because he's a shit and Hank wouldn't expect anything else.  
  
"Thank you," Hank says amiably, mirroring her pose. "And you're quite young. How young _are_ you, anyways? 30? 35?"  
  
Cassie rolls her eyes. "Nice try. Mommy says I'm mature for my age, but not _that_ mature." She reminds Hank desperately of Hope in this moment as she stands in the sitting room like she owns the place, looking right at home among the elegant, expensive furnishings in her purple dress and purse shaped like a dinosaur. Her small feet (covered in rainbow-striped tights) sink into the plush carpet, and she curls her toes into the softness.   
  
Hank might be an old man, but he's also a dad, and he knows how little girls want (and deserve) to be treated when faced with a new acquaintance. Maybe he didn't respond the right way with Hope when she was a girl, but he wants to do it right this time. He _can_ do it right this time. So he sits down on the carpet, ignoring the creak in his knees, and faces Cassie. "How old do you think _I_ am?"  
  
Cassie tilts her head a bit, thinking. She glances up at Scott, who is still leaning in the doorway, but he just holds his hands up as if to say _keep me out of this_. She turns back to Hank. "70," she says confidently.  
  
Hank opens his mouth to speak, then pauses, impressed. "Well, uh...yes. You're right."   
  
"Knew it," she says breezily. "Mommy and Daddy always tell me not to guess people's ages, but I'm really good at it. I didn't guess Miss Hope right, though. She was older!"  
  
"I bet she didn't mind so much," Hank says with a smile. "So, tell me, Cassie. How old is your daddy?" He glances up at Scott, who is watching the two of them with a soft smile, obviously not worried about their interaction. He was learning to worry less when it came to Cassie--she'd proven time and time again that she was strong, resilient, and perceptive for her age. But she was still his little girl, and Hank was still his...something. And he wanted things to go smoothly for once in his life.  
  
"He's old, too," Cassie says, sitting down next to Hank. She opens her dinosaur purse through a zipper on its back and offers Hank a Hershey's kiss, which he accepts. "He's almost 50!"  
  
"50, wow," Hanks says. "That _is_ old." He can practically hear Scott rolling his eyes. "So, that's 20 years between us, which is a lot of years, right?"  
  
"I guess," Cassie says, popping a chocolate in her mouth. Her two front teeth are missing, which Hank finds absolutely endearing. "But he also can turn into an ant with his special costume, and Miss Hope can fly, and your house reminds me of a haunted house." She chews with her mouth closed before speaking again. "So there's a lot of _way_ cool stuff to do, even if you're old." She smiles sweetly up at Scott. "And Daddy says you make him feel young, which is silly, because you're _both_ so old!" She crumples the wrapper into a ball. "May I throw this in the trash, please?"  
  
"Of course," Hanks says, and stands, helping Cassie up. "Let's go to the kitchen." Cassie leads the way, even though she has no idea where she's going.   
  
Hank steers her in the right direction. As they pass by Scott in the doorway, Hank leans in close enough to almost feel the embarrassed flush coming off Scott's face. "What's that they say about old dogs and new tricks?"  
  
"Keep it up, old dog, and I won't be showing you any of _my_ tricks later," Scott says under his breath and gives Hank a wink before following Cassie down the hallway, scooping her up in his arms.  
  
Hank might like teasing Scott, but he knows when to pick his battles.


End file.
